Trailers for transporting and storing goods are generally known. Such trailers typically have at least one door that provides access to the interior of the trailer and facilitates loading and unloading of goods within. Trailer doors are usually secured via an external locking mechanism. External locking mechanisms, such as locking rods, padlocks, crossbars, and the like are known. For example, locking rod/cam mechanisms are known and may be secured vertically on the exterior of a trailer door via guide brackets that are bolted to the door. The locking rod/cam may be secured such that when the door handle is in the closed position, the locking rod/cam may be seated into a keeper that is typically secured to the body of the trailer, thus locking the door. Likewise, when the door handle is lifted and rotated away from the door, the locking rod/cam is released from the keeper thereby allowing the door to open.
Such external locking mechanisms generally prevent the doors from opening unintentionally. However, one disadvantage of such external locking mechanisms is that they cannot be activated by a person inside the trailer, thereby trapping the person inside. In this regard, hundreds of people every year become trapped inside trailers in the United States alone.
Moreover, this problem may be more prevalent in the case of trailers used to transport goods long-distance, such as semi-trailers. For example, due to their size, it may take several people working simultaneously to load the trailer, thereby increasing the likelihood that a worker may become trapped inside when the semi-trailer is sealed with an external locking mechanism. Not only may workers become trapped inside, but stowaways and children may also become trapped. More nefariously, trailers with external locking mechanisms may be used to trap and smuggle humans throughout the United States. Entrapment in a semi-trailer that is being transported cross-country may be especially dangerous because the semi-trailer may not be opened during transit. This long period of transit may increase the possibility that a person trapped inside will not survive.
Accordingly, there is a need for an invention that, among other benefits, (1) provides a route of quick egress from a trailer if a human becomes trapped inside; (2) does not permit unauthorized external access to the locked trailer; and (3) may be inexpensively installed on existing trailers.